Shawmut Diner donated to Bristol County House of Corrections

The Shawmut Diner will be relocated to the House of Corrections on Faunce Corner Road in Dartmouth and used to train inmates in the restaurant business.

JONATHAN CARVALHO

NEW BEDFORD — The city's iconic Shawmut Diner is ready for its next act.

According to owner Phil Paleologos and Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, the diner will be relocated to the Bristol County House of Corrections on Faunce Corner Road in Dartmouth and used to train inmates in the restaurant business.

"We've decided that rather than go the conventional route and sell the diner to an entrepreneur to take it over and give it a second life, we thought it would be more appropriate to give individuals a new beginning," said Paleologos.

Hodgson said the diner may eventually serve food to the public — he said his office is still determining whether that will be possible — or it could serve contractors and staff at the prison.

The sheriff said the diner's training program for inmates will help them learn food industry skills and how to work with customers.

"The inmates are going to learn a vocation, leave prison and leave with skills that could help them re-enter the community," said Paleologos.

He said some background checks can prevent former prisoners from being hired at various businesses, but that restaurants offer a second chance for them.

"You're more apt to find cooks who have had some trouble in the past, who then get jobs at local restaurants," Paleologos told The Standard-Times.

The diner will be hoisted off its foundation and onto a truck Friday morning, but it won't actually be moved to the prison until Tuesday morning, according to Paleologos.

The land where the diner sits at the corner of Shawmut Avenue and Hathaway Road is slated to house a Cumberland Farms convenience store.

Paleologos and Hodgson announced the donation of the diner on Paleologos' radio show on WBSM Wednesday.